Pleural mesothelioma patients should receive radiation therapy from an oncologist with experience treating this rare cancer. This includes thoracic radiologists who work for mesothelioma cancer centers.

Meeting with a Radiation Oncologist

Before a mesothelioma patient receives radiation therapy, they will go through an initial consultation with a radiation oncologist.

The radiation oncologist will discuss the best approach for your case. The most common type of radiation therapy for mesothelioma is intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). This is a form of external-beam radiation therapy.

IMRT uses specialized equipment to aim high-energy X-rays at mesothelioma tumors. A linear accelerator moves around a patient’s body to attack the cancer from multiple angles with varying levels of intensity.

This type of radiation therapy is considered safer for pleural mesothelioma patients because it is tailored to the exact size and shape of the tumor site. Older forms of radiation therapy carry a higher risk of damaging the heart and lungs.

IMRT is one of the most sophisticated forms of radiation therapy. It takes an experienced radiation oncologist and a specialized radiation treatment center to administer it.

A radiation oncologist will explain how often treatments will be given — typically five times a week over a five- or six-week period — and what to expect from the treatment.

Once treatment ends, mesothelioma patients will have follow-up appointments where their radiation oncologist will monitor their recovery and watch for side effects.

If radiation therapy is given after surgery or in conjunction with chemotherapy, radiation oncologists will report how well the treatment is working to a patient’s medical or surgical oncologist.

Karen Selby joined Asbestos.com in 2009. She is a registered nurse with a background in oncology and thoracic surgery and was the regional director of a tissue bank before becoming a Patient Advocate at The Mesothelioma Center. Karen has assisted surgeons with thoracic surgeries such as lung resections, lung transplants, pneumonectomies, pleurectomies and wedge resections. She is also a member of the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators.

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